RICHARD Swan will enter his tenth season as Scotland cricket captain

with next month's preparations for the Benson and Hedges Cup campaign,

writes Bill McMurtrie.

Swan and 24 others are in a squad for training gatherings at Loretto

on the next three Sundays. A practice match follows at Lochside Park,

Forfar, on April 14, and the Scots will then have two games against

Lancashire under Benson and Hedges rules at Old Trafford on April 19 and

20. Squad:

R G Swan (Carlton), J Williams, D L Snodgrass (both West of Scotland),

A B Russell (Stirling County), D J Haggo (Ayrshire), A Bee, M J Smith

(both Aberdeenshire), G Williamson, M Mahmood (both Clydesdale), J Moir,

D Johnston (both Aberdeenshire), K Sheridan, C McKnight (both Poloc), O

Henry, G Salmond (both Arbroath United), G B J McGurk (Uddingston), D

Cowan (Freuchie), I L Philip (Merchiston), D Fleming, K Scott (both West

Lothian), D Brown (Clackmannan County), S Watson (Kirkcaldy), B W M

Patterson (Glasgow Academicals), A C Storie (Stewart's Melville FP), W

Morton (Watsonians).

Neil Burnett, Andy Goram, and Jim Govan were selected for the

pre-season training but are unavailable.

Scotland's B & H programme will open with a Hamilton Crescent match

against Essex on May 1. The Scots will meet Nottinghamshire at Titwood a

week later and then travel across the Border to play against

Northamptonshire on May 10 and Leicestershire two days later.